Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Holiday Season with their friends and family. Thank you for supporting my blog in 2011. I look forward to sharing our 2012 adventures with you!

Pecan Pie

I have never attempted a homemade pie. This year I really wanted to make Kevin his favorite pie for our Christmas dinner so I asked around for a good recipe and then gathered all my ingredients. Thanks to a friend from work she gave me a great suggestion to use The Pioneer Woman's "The Pie That'll Make You Cry" (Pecan Pie).

AND... it turned out awesome! This recipe makes enough for two pies and although she doesn't state this in her recipe there would be no way you could fit this in one pie crust. Two is always better than one when it comes to pie anyways! Right?

Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

2 unbaked pie crusts

1 cup vegan can sugar

3 TBS brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup corn syrup

3/4 tsp vanilla

1/3 melted butter (earth balance)

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees

* Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl.

* Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell.

* Pour syrup mixture over top of pecans. Cover top and crust lightly with foil.

* Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 20 minutes. Be careful to not burn the crust or pecans, check often.

* Allow to cool for several hours or overnight, serve.

Kitchen Notes:

* Pie should not be overly jiggly when you remove it from oven. Watch your oven time as it may vary.

Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

Ashley Skabar runs a great blog for dairy free cooking. I love grabbing ideas from her blog emails that I receive. This holiday season she came out with several awesome cookie ideas. I couldn't resist this one with the great combination of vegan chocolate chips and dried cranberries. I hope you give it a try!

Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup vegan cane sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

12 ounces vegan chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees

* In a medium mixing bowl mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until combined

* In a separate bowl use an electric hand mixer to cream butter and sugars, then add the eggs one at a time and vanilla.

* Sift the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until dough is stiff

* Fold in chocolate chips and cranberries.

* Cover dough and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes to set.

* Using hands, roll dough into balls and place on un-greased baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes (vary by oven).

* Allow to cook and enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Olives

This is my favorite and not just during the holidays! I couldn't crave anything more than bacon and garlic stuffed olives - sodium overload but oh so good. Quick, Easy, and a Crowd Pleaser!

Bacon Wrapped Olives

Ingredients:

1 lb Bacon (about 12 pieces)

24 Garlic Stuffed Olives

24 toothpicks

Directions:

* Cut bacon strips in half so you have 24 pieces

* Wrap each Garlic Stuffed Olive with a single piece of bacon and hold together with a toothpick

* Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until bacon is cooked to your liking.

* Let cook and serve

Kitchen Notes:

* You can use any kind of stuffed olive (red pepper, feta, jalapeno, etc). They all taste amazing.

* Make sure to drain grease before serving to your guests.

Reindeer Munch

When visiting my parents over Thanksgiving this year my mom made her traditional and childhood favorite party snack mix. I love that stuff and between five of us we ate through 2 full batches in 3 days!

I played around with the idea of making some of my own and then found this great sweet version verse her savory kind. This isn't dairy free so be careful! However a tiny taste of this is totally worth it and makes a great party food!

Reindeer Munch

Ingredients:

2 cups bite-size square shaped rice cereal (Chex)

2 cups thin pretzel sticks

1 cup salted cocktail peanuts (or sub soy nuts)

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup m&ms

12 oz vanilla - flavored candy coating or white candy melts

Directions:

* In a large bowl combine all ingredients minus white candy melts

* Chop candy coating; in a medium microwave safe bowl melt it according to package directions.

* Pour over cereal mixture; toss to coat

* Spread mixture on a large piece of foil and let stand for 30 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces and enjoy!

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

My husband LOVES peanut butter. My goal is always be creative with peanut butter from Thai dishes to breakfast to desserts as well. I really wanted a flourless cookie recipe this season for some of my friends who are on gluten free lifestyles. This one is for sure a winner!

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup vegan cane sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

* Heat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets w/ parchment paper.

* In a large bowl mix ingredients until smooth.

* Shape dough into balls (about 1 TBS each) and place 2 in. apart on baking sheets.

* Use a fork to flatten each ball, making crisscross patterns.

* Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until puffed and golden, 10 minutes.

* Let cool and enjoy (cookies will deflate as they cool)

Santa Hat Brownies

Another Tastefully Simple Ideas! Too many to pass up so I had to pick more than one. I can't wait till our small group sees these at our Christmas Party! If you are interested in ordering the Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix make sure to let me know! If you mention you saw them on my blog I will add a FREE cookbook to your order as well.

Santa Hat Brownies

Ingredients:

1 pan of Truffle Fudge Brownies

12-16 small strawberries

Cream Cheese Frosting or dairy free frosting (I buy mine at whole foods or make it from scratch)

Directions:

* Follow Truffle Fudge Brownie directions from box - cool and cut using a small round biscuit cutter.

* Clean and hull strawberries - cut the base off so you have a flat bottom

* To assemble: pipe a ring of frosting on top of each brownie - place strawberry upside down on each brownie - push slightly to secure in place - top the tip of the strawberry w/ a dot of frosting.

Olive Penguins

(credit)

These cute black olive penguins came from my Tastefully Simple Recipe Blog. I check back weekly for great ideas on how to use our products. Plus I go to www.tastefullysimple.com/web/hgunn for over 5,000 recipes as well. What a great resource it has been for my kitchen and clients!

Olive Penguins

Ingredients:

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 packet Olive & Herb Cheese Ball Mix

6 oz. can jumbo black olives, pitted

6 oz. can small black olives, pitted

1 carrot, washed and peeled

1 roasted red pepper (from a jar)

1 quart-sized, re-sealable freezer bag

Frilly toothpicks

Directions:

* Blend the cream cheese with the Olive & Herb Cheese Ball Mix^™; place in a re-sealable freezer bag and chill for 1 hour or more to blend flavors. Bring to room temperature to fill the olives.

* Drain the olives (keep the two sizes separate) and pat them dry with paper towels.

* Cut a small piece lengthwise out of each jumbo olive.

* Cut a V-shaped groove out of the carrot, lengthwise, then slice the carrot into coins. Not too thin – you’ll need to be able to get a toothpick securely into the “feet.”

* Cut the skinny carrot piece that you removed for the feet into short pieces for the beaks

* Insert carrot “beaks” into the small olives.

* Open up a roasted red pepper and gently pat it dry with a paper towel. Slice very thin strips about 3-4” long for scarves.

* Snip a tiny corner off your freezer bag and pipe the cream cheese mixture into the V in the jumbo olive, full enough that the white cream cheese mixture is visible through the cut in the front. Place the filled olive upright onto a carrot coin; top the jumbo olive with a small olive “head” and keep the whole thing together by running the toothpick through the whole works, top to bottom. Wrap a roasted red pepper “scarf” around the neck. Ta da!

Nutter Butter Snowmen

I found this recipe on one of my favorite sites - Pinterest. If you haven't experienced this amazing site you need to! It is a virtual pin board for everything amazing. So additive and fun filled creative ideas.

These were too cute to pass up and thought they would be a perfect treat for one of our many holiday parties this season.

Nutter Butter Snowmen

Ingredients:

Nutter Butter cookies

White Candy Melts (vanilla flavored)

M&M candy

Tic-Tacs (orange and cut in half)

Black decorator icing

Directions:

* Line baking sheet w/ wax paper; set aside

* In a bowl melt white candy melts, read package instructions

* One at a time, dip a Nutter Butter cookie into the melted coating and flip it over to coat completely (use a fork). Remove and let any excess drip off then place on wax paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with all cookies.

* Place in fridge for 30 minutes so coating can set.

* Using black icing to attach M&Ms and Tic-Tacs then make eyes and mouth as well.

Holiday Treats!

I have come across so many fun holiday recipes this season. I feel like I always miss out on holiday baking and fun appetizers for several reasons: a. traveling to see family and the hustle and bustle of the season / b. there are also so many holiday parties that I leave my planning and cooking for the last minute and just throw an old favorite together.

Don't get me wrong I do love an old favorite during the holidays but THIS year I really wanted to step it up a little.

The next couple blog posts will be some of my fun creations. Some original, others found on my favorite cooking blogs and sites.

What to look for:

* Olive Penguins

* Bacon Wrapped Olives

* Twice Baked Potatoes

* Truffle Fudge Brownie Santa Hats

* Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

* Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

* Reindeer Munch

* Nutter Butter Snowmen

Enjoy... AND Merry Christmas!

Husband Birthday Breakfast

On Thursday was Kevin's birthday and two weeks prior when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday he responded with:

1. A day at home in my pajamas - he gets a paid day off work!

2. Lots of movies

3. Jack and Cokes (our favorites!)

4. The following food:

a. Ham and Egg Cups

b. Pumpkin Enchiladas

c. Rocky Road Brownies

Sounded like a perfect day to me! Here are the recipes for his favorites.

Ham and Egg Cups

Ingredients:

6 eggs

6 slices ham (thin)

1/4 cup daiya cheese (vegan)

1/4 cup green onion

garlic

Directions:

* Take a 6 holed muffin tin and spray with non-stick spray

* Place a thin slice of ham in each cup hole

* Crack egg inside of ham slice

* Sprinkle in cheese, green onion, garlic, etc.

* Bake for 20 mins @ 350 degrees

Kitchen Notes:

* You can add anything to these: mushrooms, peppers, etc

* I served this with Fruit Parfaits (Green Valley Lactose Free Yogurt, Almond Granola, Blueberries, and Bananas)

Pumpkin Enchiladas

I already have these in a previous post so look HERE

BUT to get your mouth watering....

Rocky Road Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup less 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably natural (see Note)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 regular-size marshmallows
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/3 cup chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate or large chocolate chips

Directions:

Click HERE on eatingwell.com website for intense instructions... they really aren't that hard and WAY worth it at the end

French Onion Soup

When we traveled through Chicago a couple weeks ago we stopped for a lunch date at Elephant & Castle Pub. It was freezing cold and of course windy outside and we needed to get in somewhere quick. I was craving soup and a sandwich with of course a Jack and Coke. (to me that goes with everything!) We ended up ordering French Onion Soup and it was SO good. It also reminded me that making it from scratch is so easy and always a favorite on a cold snowy day.

Tomorrow it is supposed to be a high of 15 degrees...brrrr... guess that means a perfect day to chop some onions and throw some soup in the slow cooker. Oh and btw we will be making Elephant & Castle a "must stop" when we travel through Chicago.

photo credit

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

3 onions, thinly sliced

16 oz beef broth

4 cups water

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup sherry (optional)

salt and pepper

croutons or dry bread

vegan parm or swiss cheese

Directions:

* Saute onions in butter and sherry until soft, do not brown them just soften.

* Add onions and the remaining ingredients (minus croutons and cheese) in slow cooker.

* Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.

* Serve in bowls with croutons and vegan cheese on top

Kitchen Notes:

* I don't always cook the onions before hand. It still tastes the same and works great if you skip this step. Just put the butter and sherry right into the crockpot.

Enjoy

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Image Credit

Yesterday 60 degrees. Today 5 inches of snow and still snowing!

Thankful for a day to stay inside, reorganize my office space and prepare for the several Tastefully Simple Holiday events coming this weekend and next week.

I use my slow cooker year round because I believe that most things that you make with the oven or stove top can be altered for that amazing appliance. I often say it is the third person in our marriage because it requires minimal clean up (although it would be nice if it could wash and put itself away) and always has a hot amazing meal ready for us at the end of a long day.

I live all year long for winter, not because I like it one bit but because that means it is time for the slow cooker to start working on some soups! I always make a huge batch and then freeze them as well. They work great to pull from the freezer and heat quick on a Sunday afternoon as well.

With our snow today and a busy evening ahead of us I decided on Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 pound shredded, cooked chicken

• 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
• 1/2 cup 505 Green Chili Sauce
• 2 TBS Onion Onion
• 1 cup diced fresh green chilies
• 1 TBS Garlic Garlic
• 2 cups water
• 1 32 oz cartoon chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 TBS Fiesta Party Mix
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 7 corn tortillas
• vegetable oil
• 
  
• Directions:
• * Cook cook chicken and shred
• * Place all ingredients minus tortillas and veg oil into slow cooker and cover. Cook on low for 8 hours or High for 4.
• * Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet. Bake about 10-15 minutes until crisp, then sprinkle over soup.
• 
  
• Kitchen Notes:
• * You really could use anything you wanted in this recipe. Sometimes we like to add avocado with the tortilla chips at the end if we have it on hand.
• * You can always sub Garlic, Onion and Fiesta for fresh garlic, onion, and cayenne pepper. We of course love it with our Tastefully Simple products!
• * This recipes freezes great! Make extra!

Rachel Garcia's Cinnamon Apple Muffins

Kevin has been working on a website all weekend... literally for the past 48 hours he has worked 30 of them in order to meet a deadline this week. We are leaving on vacation as well this week to visit my family in Indiana. So as Kevin has been working I have been packing, cleaning and baking!

I realized as I was chopping tomatoes for homemade pasta sauce and cooking down a pumpkin to puree and freeze that I had two apples in my fruit basket. I can't stand the thought of wasting anything from my kitchen so I quickly went online to see if anybody had any great quick recipes. The first person I thought of was Rachel Garcia and her blog Recipe of the Month . Rachel and her husband Patrick went to college with us.

I was in luck! Rachel had just posted that same day a recipe for Cinnamon Apple Muffins. I scanned the ingredients realized I had everything and could easily convert it over to dairy free; so I sprinted to the kitchen! I am SO glad I did. These are AMAZING.

Click Rachel's blog above to see her original recipe. Here is my dairy free version:

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

Ingredients:

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2 small apples, diced

2 cups flour

2/3 cups vegan cane sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

brown sugar for topping

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees

* Line muffin tins with baking cups and spray with non-stick cooking spray

* Combine all ingredients (save brown sugar) and mix. Leave the batter to be lumpy and thick

* Fill muffin tins and top mixture with brown sugar

* Bake 15-20 minutes

* Remove from pan and cool on plate

Kitchen Notes:

* I used 2 small apples instead of Rachel using 1 medium apple. The apples were yellow golden delicious and I did not take the time to peel them.

* Rachel uses rolled oats for a topping. This would be great and next time I will try this but for tonight I didn't feel like digging them out of the cupboard so I just went with the brown sugar.

THANKS RACHEL for this great recipe. What a great way to end a long weekend!

Dairy Free Scalloped Potatoes

As we approach Thanksgiving and the weather is cooling off around here I start thinking about some of my favorite comfort foods. Scalloped Potatoes is one that comes to mind first. Here is my recreated version of a family favorite at our house.

Dairy Free Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 TBS earth balance butter

1/4 cup flour

1 3/4 cup chicken broth (veg broth = vegan)

1/4 cup mayo (vegannaise = vegan)

5 large potatoes

1 onion

paprika

salt and pepper

Directions:

* Heat earth balance butter, flour, broth, mayo, salt and pepper. Whisk until bubbly and thick.

* Slice potatoes thin and chop onions. Place both in a deep oven safe bowl or pan and pour sauce over. Sprinkle mixture with paprika

* Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Kitchen Notes:

* We love this with some bacon or ham chopped up and added in. However if you are going vegan you could use the recipe as is or use a soy protein substitute.

Thankful.

WE HAVE SNOW! I love snow, but only the first 3 or 4 times then I am ready for it to melt and be nice again. However, on the first snow I am always Thankful.

As of around noon today we have about 8 inches at our house. I am loving this! Although I am thankful to be inside and not out and about in it. I went into work today and a lot of our kids took their own personal snow day so I was able to come home.

Rest.

I need it after a long emotional week and a busy weekend to come. Time to clean the house and cozy up by our fireplace with a cup of tea and wintery movie!

First though before I get to that cleaning... We have a tradition at our house when the first snow comes. I make baked oatmeal! YUM. Kevin loves it and I can never get enough of that amazing smell and warm oven on that first very cold day. Here is the recipe:

Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

2 cups oats

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup milk (I love coconut milk in it!)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup thinly sliced apples

Directions:

* Mix together oil, brown sugar and egg

* Add remaining ingredients (minus apples) and mix well.

* Pour into a greased pan

* Top w/ sliced apples

* Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes

Kitchen Notes:

* This easily doubles and is so good you might as well. You can eat it hot or always warm it up later. It reheats nicely.

* I put the apples on top and then sprinkle with more cinnamon and sugar.

* Some serve this with some warmed milk.

ENJOY!

Oh and THANK YOU for all the kind words and prayers for my family this week. My dad made it through Gall Bladder Surgery and is recovering well. We are SO excited to go home to visit them in three weeks. God is faithful and we are thankful!

Baking Therapy

My mom called this morning.

EARLY.

I knew when I saw her calling so early-

that it wasn't good news.

I could feel it in my stomach.

Today I am praying for my family.

I believe in a God who is Creator of all

He is FAITHFUL.

My trust is in Him.

Home seems VERY far away.

I want to be there.

I bake as therapy

and hug my puppy and husband of course

who are my rocks.

I normally bake from scratch, specially being lactose intolerant I like to know what is in my food. However Tastefully Simple just came out with these new scones and I couldn't wait to try them. They do contain a little bit of dairy in the mix but, today, they will be worth it.

(credit)

Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredients:

1 box Cranberry Orange Scone Mix

1 cup yogurt

(I used Green Valley Organic Lactose Free Yogurt, Honey flavored)

Directions:

* Mix scone mix w/ yogurt and a little water if batter is too thick.

* Drop onto a greased cookie sheet and press down slightly.

* Sprinkle sugar packet on top

* Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

* Cool, cut into wedges and serve warm

Kitchen Notes:

* The original recipe calls for butter and milk. I used yogurt as a sub. They turned out great!

* Box says you can add 1/2 cup white choc chips, if I would have had them I would have added. That sounds amazing.

Egg Rolls!

Once I experimented with egg rolls for the cooking club I was in.

They turned out great.

We loved them.

BUT... we forgot about putting them on our menu.

THEN! We got invited to experiment with making our own Sushi with some friends. So I decided I should pull out that egg roll recipe to serve as an appetizer. I can't wait to have these again and share them with friends.

Chinese Egg Rolls

Ingredients:

1/2 package egg roll wrappers (between 10-12)

1 tsp Garlic Garlic

2 green onions, chopped

1 1/2 cups slivered cabbage

1/4 cup slivered carrots

1/2 cup diced tofu

1/2 cup salad shrimp

1 cup chinese noodles

3 tbs soy sauce

pinch of sesame seeds

pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions:

* Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan (minus wrappers and shrimp).

* Saute until golden and add shrimp, cooking for 3 minutes.

* Fill egg rolls. When folding fold the corner facing you over the filling then fold in outward corners towards the center. Continue rolling until you get to the final corner (top) use your finger to brush some water on the corner then finish rolling. (this step holds it together when baking).

* Place on greased baking sheet and then spray the tops of the egg rolls with the cooking spray.

* Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes

----------

THEN! I was poking around on some of my favorite blogs and found this: Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls . YUM! I had to make these. They looked so easy and healthy too!

Here is my version:

Fiesta Egg Rolls

Ingredients:

2 cups corn

1 cup black beans

1 cup daiya vegan cheese

1 cup fresh roasted green chiles

2 green onions

2 tsp cumin

1 tbs Fiesta Party Seasoning

pinch of salt

1 package egg roll wrappers (need about 20)

Directions:

* Combine and mix all ingredients (minus egg roll wrappers) Do not need to precook.

* Place mixed ingredients into the egg roll wrapper working one sheet at a time. See directions above on previous recipe.

* Place on greased baking sheet and then spray the tops of the egg rolls with the cooking spray.

* Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes

Kitchen Notes:

* These were served with fresh salsa and guac! AMAZING

* I used dried black beans that I had cooked in my slow cooker and fresh roasted green chiles from Kevin's grandma! oh so good!

* You of course can use regular cheese if you aren't watching dairy/vegan. You could also add chicken, ground beef, pulled pork, etc.

Loving the versatility of egg rolls. There is so much you can do with that little egg roll wrapper. I am thinking about a vegan chocolate with bananas for a dessert one needs to happen in the near future!

Door to Door Organics

It is that time of year again. My favorite time of year. Fall!

For our family this means our beloved Farmer Markets are coming to a close for the season and we have eaten or frozen all the veggies we have attempted to grow in our garden. Around October I start to shop at Sunflower Market and Whole Foods again for my produce and love the debut of fall squashes; Butternut, Spaghetti, Acorn, etc. I can never get enough of fall produce.

In the past we have enjoyed Door to Door Organics (click here for the website) we love their service and the produce is the best around. Great price for delivery of organic fruits and veggies that you can mix and match to make the perfect box for your family.

This fall, however, we are pinching pennies as I have my new business with Tastefully Simple up and running and we are knocking out some debt, specially those dreaded school loans. I am still up in the air regarding D2D and if Sunflower might be my better option for quality good priced produce, it does seem to be a tad cheaper.

We had a gift card for this past week so we sent our order in to D2D and as always were more than impressed with the selection and quality of our order.

I never want to waste any of our produce so here is my list that I worked on today!

First though, here is what we received in our box:

collard greens - green cabbage - butternut squash - yellow onion - russet potatoes - broccoli - green onions - leaf lettuce - red pepper - bananas - kiwi berries - grapes - oranges - apples - avocados

Here is what I made:

1. Collard Greens - click HERE for the recipe already on our blog (greens and onions)

2. Coleslaw - again click HERE (I used our cabbage, carrots I had, the yellow onion)

3. Roasted Butternut Squash - I used the bottom half of the squash and baked it at 350 for an hour top w/ EVOO and garlic garlic seasoning. Eat right out of peel!

4. Diced Butternut Squash - I used the top half cut into cubes, baked at 350 for 40 mins and seasoned with butter and season salt from Tastefully Simple of course!

5. Dairy Free Cream of Broccoli Soup - see recipe in previous post (used onion, broccoli, potatoes)

6. Thai Peanut Chicken - again click HERE for recipe (used red pepper, onion, green onion, broccoli)

7. Salads - (used lettuce, pepper, green onion, avocados)

Then we ate the fresh fruit and put some in our breakfast smoothies! It has been a great TWO weeks with our produce!

You will notice on my list "kiwi berries". If you have never experienced this fruit you need to. It is my favorite and I can't find it in stores :( Check them out HERE.

Here was our Saturday night dinner: Cubed Butternut Squash, Collard Greens, and Grilled Shrimp Scampi. YUM!

Kitchen Notes:

*When we have leftover veggies we either freeze them, cut them up and freeze in a bag marked "veg scraps for veggie stock". When I have enough I then cook them down for stock in my slow cooker and freeze the stock.

* If we have enough variety leftover instead of freezing for stock I make a great stir fry!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Here is a new slow cooker favorite that I discovered this week. So easy, healthy and tastes great too!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

3 heads broccoli

1 large onion

5 cups chicken broth

2 cloves garlic

4 finely chopped potatoes

pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper

Directions:

Chop and place all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. Mash or put in food processor until you get a creamy texture you like.

Kitchen Notes:

* You could sub chicken broth for vegetable broth to make this vegan.

* I used a real onion but for the garlic I used 1/2 tsp of garlic garlic (Tastefully Simple).

* This freezes great as well!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hummus

Alright I know the name of this is extra weird. You are potentially thinking hummus is meant to be savory not sweet. At least that is what I thought when I first saw this recipe.

I adapted my recipe from a food blog I follow called Pinch of Yum.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hummus

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tbs carmel sauce

2 tbs cinnamon maple syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup flour

mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Cook dried beans in slow cooker on high for 4 hours until soft, rinse and use (or just use canned ones).

Blend all ingredients minus flour and chocolate in a food processor.

Add flour by spoonful and blend then stir in chocolate.

Chill and serve on graham crackers.

Testing Notes:

If you can't find cinnamon maple syrup just use regular maple syrup and add a pinch of cinnamon to the recipe.

I used Lactaid milk but soy or coconut or any other milk sub would be great.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

(photo credit)

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

1 pound extra firm tofu, drained and diced to bite sized squares
salt and pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
tamari soy sauce or Bragg's, to taste
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
2 1/2 cups shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 head lettuce or Napa cabbage, large leaves removed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread tofu out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and soy sauce. Bake for 35-45 minutes.

2. When that is almost done, heat up wok or frying pan and throw in the chopped garlic and ginger. Fry for about 5-7 minutes until they are softer. Throw in the shiitakes.

3. At this time, you can add more soy sauce, usually about 4 or 5 shakes. Also, if you’d like, some more salt and pepper and red pepper flakes.

4. Cook about another 10-12 minutes, then add the tofu and finish up the cooking, about 2-5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into the lettuce/cabbage leaves and roll them up!

Enjoy!

Fall: slowcooker applesauce, leaves changing, sleepy puppy!

Fall Colors in Southern Colorado (Alamosa, CO 2011)

Slowcooker Applesauce

Ingredients:

8-10 lbs diced and peeled apples (use whatever kind you like or mix and match kinds)

1/2 cup water

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup sugar

Directions:

cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 3-4. stir about every hour

when apples cook down mash with a potato masher

this keeps great in the fridge for 2 months or easy to freeze and pull out later!!!

OH and btw Moose spent the weekend with his friends Basil, BQ, and Buttons and is beyond wore out. This is him half asleep on the arm of the couch!

Slow Cooker Mushrooms and Rice

I follow several different food bloggers. One of my favorites is Kalyn's Kitchen . I love her ideas, recipes, photos and simplicity! Here is one of our family favorites that I have adapted from her blog. To see her original version click on the link below the picture.

(credit)

Slow Cooker Mushrooms and Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (or Tastefully Simple Onion Onion)

1 cup uncooked rice

2 tsp. dried parsley

4 cups chicken stock

salt to taste

grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place all ingredients except parm cheese in slow cooker. Cook on low for about 3 hours.

Stir in Parmesan cheese and serve hot. We love this with a side of garlic bread.